Can You Get Pregnant from Anal Sex? Things You Need to Know

Pregnancy is a scary thought for some sexually-active persons, and contraceptives are the best option when trying to prevent pregnancy. But there are other forms of sex aside from vaginal sex which can be stimulating and exciting while having a near zero chance of pregnancy.

If a woman wants to get pregnant, a man needs to ejaculate inside of the vagina.

So, to answer the age old myth: can you get pregnant from anal sex? No. But don’t just stop reading here because there are circumstances or actions that may lead to pregnancy.

2 Ways You Can Get Pregnant Following Anal Sex

If you’re engaging in anal sex, it’s important to know that the act of anal sex itself cannot lead to pregnancy. But there are a few circumstances in which you may become pregnant. The following scenarios can lead to pregnancy following anal sex:

You’ve engaged in anal sex and the male ejaculated in the anus. When this occurs, it is possible that the semen can exit the anus and drip down onto the vagina. If the sperm were to make its way into the vagina, this could lead to pregnancy. It’s important to note that the anus and vagina are very close to each other, so it’s possible that semen can make its way into the vagina under very specific conditions.

You’ve engaged in anal sex and before the male ejaculates, he pulls out and ejaculates on the vagina. While the chances of pregnancy are very limited when a male ejaculates on the outside of the vagina, there is still a very small chance that the semen can enter into the vagina and result in pregnancy if the egg and sperm do meet.

Both of these scenarios are highly unlikely to come to fruition, but there is a chance that they can occur. You never want to believe that you’re having safe sex only to find out that you’re now expecting.

Again, if the semen does not have a chance to enter the vaginal canal, you cannot get pregnant.

There are many fallacies surrounding pregnancy, and one of them has to do with sperm. Many people who are sexually active believe that sperm will die once it hits the air. The truth is that sperm can live for 3 – 5 days in the body. The only way to determine if the sperm is dead is to ensure that the sperm has dried. Once sperm has dried, it will not be able to travel through the vaginal canal and will not pose a risk of pregnancy.

What many people do not consider is that the sperm will live inside of a woman’s vaginal canal for up to 5 days, allowing it to slowly travel through the vaginal canal and potentially fertilize the egg. Just because you had sexual intercourse on a particular day and became pregnant doesn’t mean that the pregnancy occurred on the same day. The sperm could have fertilized the egg five days later.

Why Anal Sex Doesn’t Cause Pregnancy

The colon and vaginal canal are not connected. Since the colon is meant as an “exit,” there is no way for the sperm to make its way through the cervix and lead to pregnancy. Without a connection to the vaginal canal, it’s impossible to become pregnant from anal sex.

This is the same situation with oral sex: there is no connection to the vaginal canal. And this is for good reason. The colon is filled with bacteria, and if it were connected, the bacteria would lead to infection. Many women that have anal sex will get a urinary tract infection (UTI). This occurs because the penis is inserted anally and then vaginally, leading to the transfer of bacteria.

In short, if you have anal sex, do not have vaginal sex afterward as it can lead to infection.

Risks of STDs Still Exist

Avoiding sexually transmitted diseases is difficult. Even when you have just oral sex, it’s possible that you can get an STD. The risk of contracting an STD is just as high when you have anal sex as when you have vaginal sex. Some reports indicate that there may be an even higher risk of STD through anal sex.

The idea is that the lining of the vagina is far more durable than the anus. Without proper lubrication, tearing can occur where blood and bodily fluids can flow freely, allowing for the contraction of a disease. Since this is the case, many sex experts recommend wearing a condom during anal sex.
A condom will protect a person against STDs and will provide extra lubricant to allow for easier insertion. While you can’t get pregnant from anal sex, you do want to protect against the possibility of getting an STD.